The Brexit Party poses a threat to the Conservatives, with its clear anti-Brexit message threatening to sweep up votes in Leave heartlands. But while the party has enjoyed a quick rise to prominence since its launch earlier this year, it has dropped back in the polls under Boris Johnson.

On Wednesday, the Brexit Party candidate for Yorkshire and the Humber, John Longworth, said that his party should be “sensible” in its approach to the upcoming election.

Currently, Nigel Farage’s party has more 600 candidates ready to contest every seat in Britain apart from Northern Ireland.

However, Mr Longworth said this was not the right move, and the party should instead focus on about 20 pro-Leave Labour seats.

Getting their pro-Leave MPs in Westminster was the most important thing, he said.

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Mr Longworth, a former director-general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “I think it is important for us to be sensible.

“I think we ought to be targeted in terms of the number of seats that we decide to address.”

He added: “I can imagine that might be 20 or 30. They would be entirely winnable then if you poured all your resources into them.

“You probably would not get any more if you concentrated on the 600.

“But you would also get a better result for Brexit too.

Last night a Brexit Party source said that the party had no intention of changing its strategy and was planning to stand in 600 seats.

Signs of a split within the party over election tactics will boost Boris Johnson’s electoral hopes.

Although the Brexit Party is trailing the Conservatives in the polls, Tory MPs fear the group could cost them seats in core Leave constituencies with the Tories hope to take for themselves.

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Mr Farage has suggested that some Brexit Party MPs could stand aside in a pact with the Tories to aid a Brexiteer majority.

The Brexit Party has repeatedly called for Mr Johnson to agree a non-aggression electoral pact in certain seats.

Allies of Mr Johnson have rejected the idea of an electoral pact and said that Mr Farage was not a “fit and proper” person and should never be allowed “anywhere near government”.

On Tuesday, Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice was reluctant to say his party would stand against Tory MPs in the election.

Asked three times on Today on BBC Radio 4 if his party would stand against Conservative MPs in seats that they held Mr Tice eventually said: “If necessary, it is not our preference”.

Mr Tice added that he accepted Mr Johnson had been “trying” to secure Brexit by his own deadline of Halloween.

However, he said: “The reality is the Conservatives failed three times to deliver Brexit and they clearly need our help.”

He described his party’s offer of an electoral pact as “generous”.

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